Frank a



(No Model.)

- P. A. RAPPLEYE. FRUIT BASKETiHANDLB AND COVER FASTENER..

N0. 474,925. Patented May 1'7, 1892.

UNrTED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

FRANK A. RAPPLEYE, or FARMER VILLAGE, NEW YORK.

FRUIT-BASKET HANDLE AND COVER-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,925, dated May 17, 1892.

Application filed November 28,1891; Serial No. 413,440. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. RAPPLEYE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Farmer Village, in the county'of Seneca, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Basket Handles and Cover-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. I

Thisinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in detachable handles and cover-fasteners for fruit-baskets; and it has for its objects, among others, to provide an improved device of this character which can be readily applied to or detached from the basket, and this without any pounding after the fruit is placed in the basket. The handle forms an elastic support to keep the basket from spreading. No tool is required to apply it. Baskets provided with my handle can be easily crated. The handle can be applied to any and all kinds of baskets, can be applied more quickly than other forms, looks neater is better, cheaper, and acts as a guard to keep the covers from being split by the weight of those piled upon them.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improvement applied to a basket. Fig. 2 is a like view of a slightly-modified form of handle. Fig. 3 is a similar view of still another form.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in which they occur.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates-a portion of a fruit-basket of any preferred form of construction, having at the top edge a surrounding piece a, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

Ordinarily in making basket-covers the maker saws the cover from the bolt and then planes it on both sides, leaving the cover about one-quarter of an inch thick, so that the the wooden handles, and the cost of the coverfasteners.

I make my handle and fastener preferably of spring-temper-steel wire of proper size. The I same is constructed in three parts. B designates thehook,of whichlemploy two foreach handle. b, arranged at an angle of about forty-five de- This book is formed with two sides grees, and the ends turned up to form the hooks c, which are designed to engage beneath the piece a on the basket, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. All of the forms of hooks shown have these features of construction. The forms of hook shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are arranged so that the angle thereof d shall extend slightlyabove the upper face of the cover O of the basket, as shown, and designed to i receive the horizontal portions of the handle. This handle E is formed of a single piece of wire of any suitable configuration to receive the hand, but with horizontal portions e,which are designed to bear upon the upper face of the cover of the basket, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and serve to fasten the cover down. In Fig. 3 I have shown the horizontal portions formed of the ends of the wire, which are turned inward for this purpose. In Fig. 2 the ends of the wire are turned upward and the horizontal portions are formed before the said ends are turned up. The operation and result in both forms is the same. The hooks will adjust themselves to a wide or narrow top band on the basket and keep the proper tension on the cover.

When used on very large baskets, I make the ends of the handle long enough to extend across the cover of the basket and be connected either by hooks or by twisting, as may be preferred, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. This gives great support to the sides of the the basket without using very large wire.

To apply the handle, I lay the handle on the cover, hook one end of the hook or side wire under the piece a, put the side Wires up through the handles, and spring the hook down until it catches under the said piece a.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 the ends of the wire forming the handle are formed with loops f, and the side hooks at their angle are formed with inwardly-extending flat loops g, designed to engage therewith, as shown. The result accomplished is substantially the same.

What I claim as new is- 1. The combination, with the side hooks with arms arranged at an angle to each other and formed at the angle with handle-engaging portions, of the handle removablyengaged therewith and having portions arranged to FRANK A. RAPPLEYE.

WVitnesses:

O. GzWHEELER, D. C. WVHEELER. 

